Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church

The Fisherman’s Net Volume 10 Issue 1 February 2018

A special thank

you to all of you

who have, and

continue, to

sponsor The

Fisherman’s Net

May God Grant

You Many Years

Church

Council

John Parker-

President

Tedd Tripp- VP

Roy Peckham-

Treasurer

Beverly Parker-

Secretary

Andrew Mihaly-

Financial

Secretary

Trustees:

Carol Bodwalk

John Buckeye

Ann DeMelfi

JoAnn Hanna

Michael Goresh Thomas Macri

Great Fast

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places…(Eph 6:10-18).

As we prepare ourselves for the great fast, I want remind everyone that the fast is not a punishment, but a tool intended to soften our hearts and assist us in purifying our hearts and minds. Fasting is not simply about abstinence from certain foods, but about fasting from sin. St. Mark the

Ascetic says ‘We plead with God to

deliver us from our sins, but we love

their causes.’ When we fast, during

Lent, let our eyes fast from improper

images. Let us fast from entertainment,

movies, TV, and frivolous time on the

internet.

Let our ears fast from listening to idle talk. Let us fast from impure speech, idle talk, etc. Let us learn to give alms to those in need and remember Matthew 25: When the Lord comes in glory with His Holy Angels He will separate the sheep from the goats based upon what they did or did not do. Let us visit the sick and the prisoner, feed the hungry and clothe the naked.

While we may want and desire to live a God pleasing life, we know from

experience that we often fail. It is like St. Paul accurately describes,

“For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15).

Because of our propensity to sin, the life in Christ involves, what the

Russians call, podvig. Podvig may be translated as spiritual struggle.

Archbishop Michael explains, “The great Russian Saint, Theophan the

Recluse, defines our entire Christian life as podvig. He explains that

while the spirit hates sin, the flesh may actually dwell in it. How then is

this battle within ourselves to be resolved? It is resolved

through podvig, the spiritual struggle of bringing the soul into mastery

over the body. The Church gives us directions for doing this through our

prayer rule, participation in divine services and Scripture reading,

fasting and abstinence, standing in worship and making prostrations,

giving alms to the poor, etc. All of these things strengthen the soul by

disciplining the body, and as we fulfill these ascetical practices, we will

indeed find that they help us draw nearer to our Creator and Savior.

During Lent in particular, we are called to deepen our souls in Christ, to

do more, to go beyond what the Church has already told us are the

necessary first steps. Podvig is precisely that "doing more.”

“One might ask, why should we do all of this? Why should we undergo

this Lenten “struggle,” this podvig, anyway? The answer is to achieve

our goal, the goal not only of Lent but of our entire lifetime – to come

closer to Christ, to become more like God, to enter into eternal

communion with the Holy Trinity. We want that because we know how

much Jesus Christ, our Lord God and Savior, has loved us – with that

love greater than any man has, to lay down His life for His

friends (John 13:35). And so, let us “Let us set out with joy upon the

season of the Fast, and prepare ourselves for spiritual combat” … let us

undertake our Lenten podvig … to show our love for the God Who loves

more than we love ourselves. To Him be all glory unto ages of ages!”

—Fr. Michael

PARISH HAPPENINGS

Birthdays in February- Zachary Beckley- February 5

Kathy Kessler-February 10

Gloria Kundrat- February 20

Mary Hinkle- February 23

Hannah Kessler- February 24

Anniversaries in February- John and Bev Parker-

February 13

Remember in your Prayers: Archbishop Nikon, Bishop Herman,

Priest Emilian, Priest John, Priest Nicholas, Priest James, Priest John,

Kathryn, Larraine, Jennifer, Rose, Effie, Christina, John, Christine, Ivy

Elizabeth, Yvette, Tyler, David, Marie, Jenny, Paul, Paul, Annie, Erin,

Clare, John, Dianne, Joe, Bryce, Luke, Melanie, Amailia, Stavro,

Thomas, Ethan, Emmitt, Mary, Jack, James, Alaina, Kyle, William,

Ron, Elizabeth, Christina, Missy, Bob, Carol, Leadeth, Linda, Korey,

Cathy, Maggie, Tom, Mike, Artem, Antonina, Elaine, Cali, Mariah,

James, John, Barbara, Tom, George, David, Charlie, Joseph, Heather,

Leyla, Nick, Jean, Andy, Nicole, Ally, Reagan, Tara, Sam, Ray, Bill,

Hannah, Edward, Rick, Roy, Mary, Michael, Taylor, Pamela, Jillian,

Jean, Jesse, Kurt, Nancy, Theodore, John, Finley, Michael, Paula,

Nathan, Noah, Nikki Ann, Matthew, Diane, Sarah, Martin, Iva,

Stephen, Rory, Thomas, Paul, Gloria, Justina, Jean, Keegan

SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION: The Sacrament of Confession has always been a central part of an Orthodox

Christian’s journey in Great Lent and the preparation for Pascha.

Anyone interested in participating in this Sacrament of

Confession and Reconciliation can plan on doing it after any

Lenten Service, or make set a time with Fr. Michael.

Church School News

January

Pre-Lenten Party

Friday, February 16th

@ 6 pm

“Howdy Partner”

Join us for a Wild West party! Dress up in very best

western gear, eat some grub, and have lots of fun!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Deal with everything with love, kindness, meekness,

patience, and humility. Be rocks. Let all the waves

break over you and turn back leaving you untroubled.

You’ll say, “That sounds fine, but is it possible?” The

answer is, “Yes, always with the grace of God.” If we

look at things in human terms, of course things seem

impossible. But instead of affecting yourself adversely,

all these things can be of benefit to you, increasing

your patience and your faith. Because all the

difficulties that surround us represent a kind of

gymnastics for us. We exercise ourselves in patience

and endurance. St Porphyrios

Lenten Mission Vespers

Sunday of Orthodoxy … Wilkes-Barre Cathedral.

Saint Gregory …. St. John the Baptist in Nanticoke

Sunday of the Cross….Holy Annunciation in Berwick.

Saint John Climacus …. Saint Michael’s Jermyn.

Saint Mary of Egypt …. Holy Cross in Williamsport

Palm Sunday … Wilkes-Barre Cathedral.

All Church services are at 4:00 p.m.

TOOLS FOR GREAT LENT

The whole “spirit” of fasting is related to changing our

lifestyles for a period of time, as a means to help us

focus more on our pursuit for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Therefore, along with giving some things up, why

don’t we try to add more spiritually edifying activities.

1. Be disciplined in saying your prayers every

morning and evening. 2. Come to Church every

Sunday, and even attend one of the extra Lenten

services through -out the week. 3. Read the Bible

every day. 4. Pray the Jesus Prayer daily, and sit in

silence and meditation for 10 minutes each day. 5.

Free up your schedule so you are not so busy. Make

time to think about what is truly essential in life. 6.

Talk less, gossip less, control your speech, don’t

participate in inappropriate talk or joking, and

instead, fill your mind with what is meaningful and

positive. PRAYER

24 HOUR HOLY MONDAY PRAYER CHAIN

During the first day of Lent (from April 1 at 7pm until

April 2 at 7pm) we will have our “24-Hour Prayer

Chain.” We are looking for 24 parishioners who will

each commit to pray in their homes for one hour a day

during this period. Each parishioner will commit to

praying at a different hour of the day and night. This

means that at every moment during the first day of

Lent someone from our Church Family will be lifting up

their voice in prayer. The purpose of our Prayer Chain is

twofold: to help the participants enter into the spiritual

life of Lent, and to get our Church Family to pray for

one another and all those who have special needs. If

you know someone who needs extra prayers, please

give their names to Fr. Michael. If you are interested in

participating in this Prayer Chain, please contact Fr.

Michael as soon as possible and he will provide you

with the prayers and the structure of how to pray for

one hour a day.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Adult ed. First two Sundays of the Month

Catechesis Tuesdays at 11:00 am

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks to all the volunteers who

have come out to prepare and to serve our meals on the Second

Monday of each Month for all our guests!

Holy Annunciation

Orthodox Church A Parish of the Orthodox Church in

America 1228 2nd Avenue

Berwick, PA 18603

(570) 752-3184

www.orthodoxberwick.org Rev. Michael Demko, Rector